People are opting for streaming TV instead of having sex, survey says

Abigail Rosenthal, GateHouse Media

Tuesday

Apr 23, 2019 at 6:00 AM

"Netflix and chill" isn't involving much outside Netflix, a study by the Wall Street Journal says.

The widely used euphemism for inviting a romantic partner over for some binge-watching and more might not reflect what's actually going on. According to a survey by by SurveyMonkey for the Wall Street Journal, 36% of those age 18-38 reported that they've chosen streaming TV over sex. The older crowd has less of an issue putting down the remote -- only 16% of those 39 and over reported the same.

Some are suggesting that streaming culture is contributing to declining birth rates. Netflix says its not to blame -- American subscribers stream just two hours a day on average per household.

“We take pride in being part of the cultural zeitgeist, but getting credit for a decades-long decline in sex is beyond even our programming abilities,” a Netflix spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.

The survey also found that men and women are almost equally likely to make the trade -- 25% of men and 26% of women admitted that they've turned down sex for streaming TV.

But Netflixing with your partner isn't a waste: 86% said they consider it "quality time." Happy streaming, lovebirds.